Safety-catch for pins



F. J- ENGEL.

SAFETY CATCH FOR PINS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22. ms.

1,397,092. Patented Nov. 15, 1921.,

INVENTOR ATTORNEY FRED J. ENGEL, 015' NEWARK, NEVJ JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0AMERICAN EFLATINUM WORKS, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CQRPORATIQN OF NEWJERSEY.

SAFETY-CATCH FOB PINS.

Application filed. May 252,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED J. Enema, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Catches for Pins, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, such as will enable others skil ed in the art to which itpertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,forming a part of this specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in safety-catches for pins,its object being to provide the pivoted gate or safetycatch member withholding means adapted to be brought in forcible holding engagement witha portion of the pin-guard for closing the catch and preventing thepoint of the pin stem from being inadvertently removed therefrom; and tosimplify the structure of the safety-catch so as to render the samepositive, yet effective in operation, simple and inexpensive inconstruction and durable in use.

These objects I perform in the preferred embodiment of my invention,which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, to which reference ishad and in which similar reference characters indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 represents a fragmentary side elevation in perspective of myimproved safety-catch, retaining the point of an ordinary pin stem.

Fig. 2 represents an enlarged plan view of my improved safety-catch.

Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 4 represents an end elevation of the pin guard.

Fig. 5 represents a longitudinal sectional elevation, showing the catchin an unlocked position, and

Figs. 6, 7, and 8 represent respectively, end, side and plan views ofthe gate or catch-member.

My improved device comprises two ele ments, namely, the pin-guard 1 andthe safety-catch member 2 pivotally secured together in any desired orconvenient manner, as for instance, by means of the pin 3. Thesafety-catch is usually secured upon the Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

1918. Serial no. 236,014.

back 4 of a badge, breast pin, brooch or the like, which may be of anydesired ornamental configuration in outline as will be clearlyunderstood. Suitably arranged and secured upon the said back t is anywell-known form of pivotal support (not shown) provided with a pin 5.

The locking attachment for retaining the pointed end portion of the pin5 in its closed relation within the pin-guard consists of the pin-guardl which is suitably secured at the bottom to the rear face of the brooch4 by being soldered fast to the said face, or by securing it in anyother manner upon the saidi'ace, the lower portion or" the said guard 1is formed with a pair of oppositely arranged bearings 6, in which issecured the pin 3. The lower portion of the piirguard 1 in which thebearings 6 are formed is preferably channel shaped as clearly indicatedin the drawings, said chan nel shaped portion extending upwardly to apoint about midway of the guard from where the said guard is formed witha forwardly and downwardly extending hook end '"i', and. with outwardlyextending ends 88 beneath which the pointed end portion of the pin 5 issprung. A slot 9 is centrally arranged in the channel shaped portion ofthe pin-guard beginning near the lower end of the pin-guard and in closeproximity to the bearings 6, and extending upwardly and terminating nearthe beginning of the forwardly and downwardly extending hook end '7 atwhich end said slot 9 is notched as at 10. Pivotally arranged upon thesaid pin 3 hereinabove mentioned and located within the channel portionof the pin-guard l and designed to operate in saicL slot 9, is thesafety-catch 2 which, when in engagement with the pin-guard, willsecurely retain the pin 5 of the brooch or the like, in its held orlocked position in the said guardv This safety-catch 2 consistsessentially of a suitably formed plate provided with a perforation 11 atits lower end portion by means of which it can be pivotally secured uponthe pin 3 between the two bearings 6. The upper end portion of thesafety-catch 2 is provided with a finger piece 12 by means of which saidsafety-catch can be manipulated. (in one side of the safety-catch and inclose proximity to said finger piece is "formed in any desired orconvenient manner, a projecting or holding element '13, preferablybeveled, as at 14, designed to be snapped into the notched end 10 of theslot 9 and to have locking engagement with the forwardly extending hookend of the pin-guard 1. The arrangement of the said holding element 18being such that when the safetycatch 2 is forced into the slot 9 fromits open position to the closed position, the said holding element 13,by means of the beveled portion 14:, snaps into and wedges itself intothe notched end 10 of the slot 9 wherebythe said parts are securelylocked and holds the pivotal pin 5 in its position within the pin-guardagainst displacement. The central portion of the safety-catch 2terminates in a downwardly curved extension 15, which extension when thesafety-catch is in its locked position together with the forwardly anddownwardly extending hook end 7 of the pin-guard, forms a completeclosure. When the safetycatch 2, by means of the finger piece 12 ispushed in an outward direction by the wearer of the pin or brooch, theholding element 13 is forced out from the notched portion 10 of the slot9 which permits the operator to displace the pin 5 from beneath thepin-guard, and the outward movement of said safety-catch 2 is limited bythe curved or notched portion 16 of the catch engaging with the end ofthe slot 9 for limiting the upward movement of said catclrplate asclearly indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawing. It will thus be seen that Ihave provided a safety-catch in which I have reduced the actual numberof parts to two, that when assembled, the possibility of the partsbecoming separated by careless manipulation has been reduced to aminimum, The parts are of such shape as to render themselves easy tomanufacture by the use of suitable punches and dies from ordinary sheetmetal.

Experience has demonstrated that the organization above described is ahighly efficient one, and while I have shown the preferred embodiment ofmy present invention, I do not wish to be limited to the exact detailsof construction shown and described, as obvious modifications thereof,not involving the, exercise of invention, may be made by any skilledmechanic, and such departures from what'is herein set forth, I considerwithin the scope and terms of my claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by LettersPatent is VA safety-catch comprising a pin-guard made from a singlepiece of flat material, having a downwardly curved and outwardlyextending hook end beneath which the pointed end portion of the pin canbe made fast, an open end channel-shaped and apertured extensionconnecting said hook end of the pin-guard, said extension being providedwith a slot extendingin a vertical direction up into the hook end of thepin-guard where said slot is provided with a notched portion, asafety-catch plate made from a single piece of flat material pivotallyarranged in said channel-shaped and apertured extension and extending insaid slot, one side of said catch-plate being provided with a laterallyextending beveled portion adapted to be brought into snapping andholding engagement with the notched portion of said slot, saidcatch-plate being further provided with a notched portion engaging withthe end of said slot for limi ing the upward movement of saidcatchplate, and a finger piece upon the catchplate for causing thedisengagement of the beveled portion of the catch-plate with the notchedportion of said slot.

This specification signed and witnessed this 20th day of May, 1918.

FRED J. ENGEL.

IVitnesses a r FREDK G. FISCHER, ANNA EGAN.

